Double sequential defibrillation (DSD) or simultaneous/near simultaneous defibrillation is a treatment protocol that is growing in use and popularity to treat patients suffering from cardiac arrest. For a patient in ventricular fibrillation, and especially for a patient suffering from refractory ventricular fibrillation, the use of DSD or simultaneous defibrillation may be an effective treatment in helping restore the patient's normal heart rhythm. Conventionally, DSD has been performed as a last ditch effort to try and save the life of a patient suffering a difficult-to-terminate cardiac arrhythmia. The administration of DSD has been haphazard, poorly timed, and uncoordinated. Typically, DSD or simultaneous defibrillation is administered using two separate and distinct defibrillators, such as two monitor/defibrillators (sometimes referred to as manual defibrillators), or two automated external defibrillators (AEDs), or a monitor/defibrillator and an AED. Human rescuers manually time the two (or more) defibrillation shocks to be delivered to the patient at the correct time but the time precision with which the shocks must be delivered for effective treatment is likely greater that what can be achieved manually.
Relying on human ability and/or judgement to administer shocks from two separate defibrillators in a coordinated manner is an imperfect system that results in questionable therapy outcomes due to improper shock delivery timing. Improper timing of the shock delivery can potentially lengthen the amount of time a patient experiences cardiac arrest with ventricular fibrillation or can potentially cause fatal additional arrhythmias to the patient's heart (for example, inducing ventricular fibrillation while attempting to treat atrial fibrillation).
DSD and simultaneous defibrillation is becoming more widely adopted for patients suffering from cardiac arrest. The art would benefit from systems and/or methods for assisting in proper delivery of such therapies with precise timing control and reproducible timing of multiple shock deliveries.